The Guardian
Eva Corlett
A tiny regional airport in New Zealand that weaves a Māori story of love and longing into its architecture is in the running for a prestigious design award, up against international heavyweights including New York’s LaGuardia.
Unesco’s Prix Versailles recognises architecture that fosters a better interaction between economy and culture, and includes a range of categories from airports to shopping malls. The finalists for the airport category include the New York LaGuardia upgrade, Berlin’s Brandenburg airport and international airports in Athens, Kazakhstan and the Philippines.
The sixth airport finalist is Te Hono – meaning “to connect” – and is found in New Plymouth, a town with a population of 85,000, on the western shoulder of the North Island.
